The new Labour government could axe plans for a new sixth-form college in Keighley, it has been revealed today.
In a letter to Bradford Council and local MPs, Labour's new Education Secretary Bridget Philipson said plans for New College Keighley will now be reviewed, despite the new sixth form college being part of efforts to raise educational standards in the town.
Plans for the new sixth form college, which received cross-party backing when it was announced by the previous Conservative government last year, were part of the previous Governmentâs wider efforts to improve learning outcomes for disadvantaged students.
Plans included providing additional sixth form provision for 16 to 19-year-olds, offering an extensive range of A level and A level equivalent courses. The school was expected to create up to 1,000 new school places for young people in Keighley and the surrounding areas, giving them more choice in their education.
The townâs MP Robbie Moore called the review a âserious miscalculationâ and could lead to âfurther delay and increased costsâ and will be âhugely detrimental to our young people
Mr Moore written to the Secretary of State, outlining his concerns and urging the Government to proceed with the project as planned.
New College Keighley would have been run by the New Collaborative Learning Trust, which already operates three successful academic sixth-form colleges in Bradford, Doncaster, and Pontefract. New College Pontefract received an "outstanding" rating from Ofsted, while New College Bradford has reported a 100% pass rate across all Level 3 courses.
Bradford Councilâs leader, Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, previously praised the project, arguing it was a âkey step forward to improve post-16 outcomesâ and was âgreat news for the town and its futureâ
Responding to the news, Robbie Moore MP said:
âThis review is a serious misstep by the new Labour Government and risks jeopardising a crucial new sixth form college for Keighley, which would benefit many young people across our area.
Our town, and the wider area, desperately needs projects that will help raise educational standards and create opportunities for our young people, especially in an area that has been historically disadvantaged.
The new college would provide up to 1,000 new places, offer specialist academic sixth form provision, and be run by a trust with a proven track record of success in the Bradford District.
To now suggest pulling the plug on a project which has cross-party support is completely wrong, and I have written to the Secretary of State urging her to immediately reconsider and allow our new college to proceed.
The future prospects of our young people should not be up for debate.â
